Out of the box versus after an afternoon
The Whitetail Hunter II ships close enough to sighted-in that a first session is productive rather than frustrating, and its multi-reticle scope removes most of the guesswork about holdover. That is worth a lot to someone who has never sighted a crossbow before.
The Lethal 405HD needs its scope re-sighted before you trust it past thirty yards, and its trigger is stiff until it breaks in. Neither is a defect - both are an afternoon of work - but they are an afternoon you have to spend before the bow is doing its best.
Noise, and why it matters more than fps
The Lethal 405HD is quiet for its price bracket, and quiet is not a comfort feature on a hunting bow. A bolt takes long enough to arrive that a relaxed animal can take a step and an alert one can drop at the sound of the shot. A quieter bow gives the animal less to react to.
That, plus the 405 fps against the Whitetail's 350, is the case for the Lethal. It is also better balanced in the hand, which shows up on longer holds.
The crank is part of the package
The Lethal 405HD includes a crank as well as a rope cocker; the Whitetail Hunter II includes only the rope. A crank is not just about effort - it seats the string identically every shot, and inconsistent cocking is a common and invisible cause of vertical spread on the target. Buying one separately costs real money, so count it in the comparison.
Which one to buy
Buy the Whitetail Hunter II if you want the least work between purchase and a confident first hunt. Buy the Lethal 405HD if you are willing to spend an afternoon setting it up and would rather have the quieter, faster, crank-equipped bow at the end of it. Read the <a href="/reviews/killer-instinct-lethal-405hd/">Lethal 405HD review</a> and the <a href="/reviews/barnett-whitetail-hunter-ii/">Whitetail Hunter II review</a> before deciding.